wes-exp

8 ms·

31.
by wes-exp 12y ago
Still ahead of mainstream programming languages, which are typically imperative by design, and usually overly "noun" focused compared to the "verb"-friendly nature of Lisp. Adding map/reduce/etc. to the noun la
32.
by wes-exp 12y ago
Yes, it was a poor choice of terms. To be clear, eval isn't equivalent except within the narrow theoretical notion of turing completeness: it can do I/O, for instance file I/O. And it accepts high-level language code directly
33.
by wes-exp 12y ago
I'm thinking you're right in the theoretical sense, but I'm right in the practical sense. Every time I've looked at hygienic macro systems, it just seems like now I'm jumping through extra hoops to overcome a more r
34.
by wes-exp 12y ago
Fine, but can you name some language features that came out after the '90s that weren't in Lisp already? Excluding type systems?
35.
by wes-exp 12y ago
I understand what you're saying. What I mean is not the trivial "nand is turing complete" sense, which I agree is harmful and silly, but full eval capabilities. Lisp macros can fully evaluate Lisp code, and I consider this a
36.
by wes-exp 12y ago
Type systems are the one exception, but it still remains broadly true that Lisp was way ahead of everybody. There are many things we could talk about besides type systems: Lambda expressions - just now reaching Java and C++, been in Lisp fo
37.
by wes-exp 12y ago
Author is wrong about hygienic macros – they are not more powerful. They are less powerful, and more complicated, in order to enforce safety. Whether this is preferable or not is a matter of debate.
38.
by wes-exp 12y ago
Indeed. Developers look to Google to set an example, but it seems that Google itself is looking to developers to set an example. Hence we have a circular pattern of language adoption :) But it doesn't have to be that way.
39.
by wes-exp 12y ago
When I say proven out, I don't mean in the sense of being widely used; I mean academically. In other words, I am trying to say that it's not a research problem, it's a problem of, say, engineering and marketing to bring it to
40.
by wes-exp 12y ago
I think WebOS was going to use JavaScript. The thing about Java and C++ is that they themselves are around for historical reasons. Far better languages have already been proven out. But, it will take a major industry player to move the mass
41.
by wes-exp 12y ago
If I asked a restaurant if they would serve something besides bowls of gruel I would at least expect some sympathy like "we wish we could, but..." Instead they were actually mocking the idea and seem to have no clue how bad Java
42.
by wes-exp 12y ago
To say that drug patents are nothing but greed is way off base. The cost of R&D together with the work needed for FDA approval is typically astronomical – the only way you're recouping that is with a monopoly and a high price.
43.
by wes-exp 12y ago
For what it's worth, I agree that .Net could be a viable and good tool for many startups, in principle. I just think that it isn't very popular amongst Silicon Valley startup types, and one should take that into account if we&#x27
44.
by wes-exp 12y ago
The sheer numbers are for the legions of ho-hum programmers building CRUD data-entry systems for e.g. aluminum can factories. The majority of startup-oriented engineers are a different group and I agree that .Net may be off-putting to them.
45.
by wes-exp 12y ago
Is there any value in keeping the kernel closed source ? It prevents forking. MS doesn't want to compete against its own kernel. Even Android doesn't want to compete against itself, hence the manufacturer agreement(s) that make
46.
by wes-exp 12y ago
Don't underestimate the value of the Nokia brand. Until recently, IIRC, Nokia was the world's largest seller of mobile phones. That brand image is worth a ton to help MS sell its phones.
47.
by wes-exp 12y ago
totally unparsable Completely and utterly false. Lisp's s-expression syntax is trivial to parse because it is so regular. The thing with imperative programming Common Lisp is multi-paradigm, as mentioned in the site's FAQ. You
48.
by wes-exp 12y ago
Just because Lisp looks foreign doesn't mean that it's harder. The syntax is different , but it is also very simple . If this were untrue, Scheme wouldn't have survived as a teaching language all these years.
49.
Learn Lisp the Hard Way(learnlispthehardway.org)
190 points by wes-exp 12y ago|141 comments
50.
by wes-exp 12y ago
Understandably GS is not a very sympathetic figure, but in general I don't think it's unreasonable to wish for an email "undo" if you fat-finger the recipient address and realize it immediately.
51.
by wes-exp 12y ago
Yes, but consider this: you have a government-protected monopoly on your home when you own it. Imagine if anyone could compete for your home simply by occupying it. That would be economically ruinous. Intellectual property is also a governm
52.
by wes-exp 12y ago
Keep in mind search engines often know what link you click on, and NSA probably also monitors which site is subsequently visited pursuant to a keyword search.
53.
by wes-exp 12y ago
Competition isn't magic fairy dust that makes everything better. e.g. "Progress comes from monopoly, not competition" — Peter Thiel That said, lack of non-compete enforcement is often credited as one of the contributing facto
54.
by wes-exp 12y ago
It's a wake up call: real charity is stuff like stopping malaria in destitute villages. Releasing software without charging a fee? Not so much.
55.
by wes-exp 12y ago
Yet again in the Lisp world, the past is more futuristic than the present.
56.
by wes-exp 12y ago
I'd like to see a modern CPU that handles dynamic typing in hardware. Registers can store values as well as the type, e.g. 32 value bits and a few type bits. Basic arithmetic like addition can automatically compare the type bits and ju
57.
by wes-exp 12y ago
I'm baffled why the creators of Egison seem to think pattern matching is so significant for a Lisp. Common Lisp has a variety of pattern matching libraries. Clojure has a pattern matcher as well. Is there something radically better abo
58.
by wes-exp 12y ago
https://experiment.com (science crowdfunding)
59.
by wes-exp 12y ago
Summary: http://patentlyo.com/patent/2014/06/claims-invalid-section.h...
60.
by wes-exp 12y ago
I believe there are similar issues with children and x-rays to the head/brain.

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